Smyrna times., 1887-05-18


was taught in his childhood, and in
which throughout his whole life he
firmly believed"
Peach Convention.
THE FRUIT GROWERS MAKE A FINE
APPEARANCE.
Some Good Work Done Towards Er-
tending the Market-Mr. PoIk's
Plan adopted.
The fruit growers convention of the
Peninsula held the most imposing con-
ventiOn at Dover Thursday that was
probably ever held in the State. Over
3OO delegates, representing the fruit
growers of Delaware, the Eastern
Shore of Maryland and New JERSEY.
and the commission merchants of
Philadelphia, New York, New Haven
and Boston met together at II A. NJ, in
the Court House Hall. Norris P. Bar
nard, of Still Pond, Md, called the
meeting to order. DIR. Henry RidgeIv
OF the Committee on Organization pre-
sented a list of permanent officers
which was unanimously adOpted bv
reclamation. The officers were as fol-
lows; Edward L. Martin, chairman.
Secretaries-FOr Delaware, Wilbur H.
Burnite; Maryland, James H. Haines !:
New Jersey, John B. Case. Vice-presi-
dents-For Sussex county, Albert Cur
ry; New Castle, DIR. John J. Black ::
Kent, r. H. Bancroft; Caroline county.
Z: r. FARRELL Washington, J. Tracy
Bishop; Queen Anne's, f. H. Brown +:
Kent county, Md, T. H. Harper; Tai
bot county, DR.. Adkins; Bridgeton. N
j., w. o. Garrison; Vineland. n. J.
Jonathan Wilds.
Mr.. Martin was escorted to the chair
by A. l.. Hudson and J. S. Willis.
named for that purpose, and was greet
ed with applause as he stepped upon
the platform. He said in substance:
" L appreciate the honor of being
selected to preside over so large a
gathering of the intelligence, the thrift.
the enterprise; aye the brain and the
Drawn of the Peninsula-one of the
tairest spots-the fairest portion of this
talr land. | shall endeavor to do nv
duty, so as to enable us to arrive at
conclusions that will rebound not only
TO our qualification and satisfaction.
but will rebound to our material inter-
ests. You can aid me by your co oper-
alton by observing all the rules of par
Hamentary usages. We should en-
phaslze our work and show to the
world that we mean what we are act
lng that we know what we are here
for. 1t is, in my judgement, to devise
some nInn IN nnunIVya -.
better realize the fruit of our labor in
putting in the market that product
which we recognize as King. Laugh
II you will, gentlemen of the press. :"
turning to the group of reporters at a
table to his right, I'VE will stand vour
merriment at our expense. Every
wheel on the Peninsula is set and kent
in motion by the result of our work.
Let me indulge in little retrospection.
Let me say that we have great reason
to believe that the members of the
press here came without any idea of
what we were going to do. We have
no war to make an any body. We de-
sire to maintain our rights. You will
lind that the people of the Peninsula
are able to maintain them. A few
years ago a few thousand peach trees
represented this great industry. To-
day millions of baskets are loaded.
Then a single steamboat took the pro-
duct to Philadelphia, whose population
was small where they sold for so cents
basket, and the next day thev would
be dumped into the Delaware to pre-
vent a glut. To-day we are prepared
to load 400 cars for 25,OOO,OOO of people
spread throughout the country. If we
are not prepared to meet these cues.
tlons now with a possible crop of ). .OOO.-
900 baskets, what will we do five wears
later with crop of possibly 10000, 900
baskets. Ii is not for to-day we are
pianning-it is for the future. Do YOU
tell me that we have not the ability to
handle the question. At first we only
sold peaches near where they were
grown, within three miles of the or
chards, for $3.50 a basket. Philadel-
phla was then the distributing point of
the peaches of the Peninsula. We fin
| ally fought our way to New York and
Boston, and then reached out until the
continent is ours. Who accomplished
all this? The railroad men say that
they did, and the commission men saw
that they did, but it was neither.
The peach growers did it. The peach
! growers opened the railroads and the
markets. There are two plans to con-
slider: the fruit exchange and the
proper distribution of the fruit. The
! plan for the distribution of the fruit
| POlks strikes me with great force.
| The sale throughout the exchange has
been a success. We do not propose to
lose the ground we have obtained in
the distribution of our fruit The ques-
ton of gift package is not the ques-
ton before the convention. The mar
keting of our fruit, the sale, the finding
of the market with or without the Gift
! package is what claims our attention.
The tariff of freight on fruit is admitted
by the transportation companies them
selves to be greater than that for anv
other goods. but they claim that the re-
turn of the empties pays for the extra,
that the running of fast through trains
on special schedule was expensive. But
the railroads have not at all times kept
their contracts. l do not complain of
the freight rate if the peaches are de-
livered in time for the market l con-
slider it great hardship that we pay
extra freight and our fruit is delivered
hours after the market is over" After
stating what hours the fruit should be
delivered at certain points Mr.. Martin
declared the meeting open.
AT the conclusion of Colonel Martins
address DR.. Ridgely moved that a COM
mittee on resolutions be appointed.
The motion was adopted, and DIR.
Henry Ridgely, David J. Cummins,
Judge Stump, J. G. Brown, N. p. Bar
nard, A. i. Hudson, J. ]. Rosa and J.
T. Il. Polk were appointed. The COM
mittee was barely appointed when var
ious delegates began to offer resolutions
which were invariably referred to the
the committee. Robert H. Cummins
offered a series of acrimonious PROPOSE
ton leveled at commission merchants
in general and those of New York city,
whom he termed cOnspiratOrs, in par
ticular. David J. Cummins offer two
resolutions, one providing for a COM
mittee to visit the various cities and
look up responsible commission men
who would agree to return the
"empties" or pay for them, and the
other declaring that no peaches should
be sent to any merchant who declined
to agree to send the baskets back. j.
S. Willis offered a resolution providing
for the establishment of fruit exchanges
all through the fruit belt. On motion
of Mr.. Willis all those present, who